Paytn Monticelli’s collegiate softball path has not been linear. She began at Wisconsin as a freshman before moving on to Oklahoma for her sophomore and junior seasons.The pitcher's trajectory completely changed when she transferred to LSU for her senior year, which included something she never saw coming.On Sept. 3, Monticelli led a contingent of 40-plus athletes into a Baton Rouge courtroom to fight for a fifth year of eligibility.After more than eight hours in Judge William Jorden’s courtroom, Monticelli received her fifth year of eligibility.“Walking into a courtroom and sitting there and listening to them talk and battle for a long time and then getting the opportunity to tell my side of the story,” Monticelli told Softball On SI in an exclusive interview. “I felt super empowered because a lot of this lawyer stuff, like, getting involved with the preliminary injunction and learning more about the opportunity that I had to play a fifth year. Both me and my teammate had to do it all basically by ourselves, because our coaches have their own things that they have to keep an eye out for, so they didn't want to be in trouble with the NCAA for encouraging anything. They didn't really encourage anything. They said it's up to you and J Lo (Jalia Lassiter). It’s what you want to do. We'd love to have you back, but that's all we can do. When Jalia and I took the initiative and were officially on the stand, it just felt like we had done so much for ourselves. In college sports, we have a lot of people doing stuff for us all the time, but it just felt cool to take our own careers into our own hands.”As part of the judgment, Monticelli will have to pay back the five-figure contract she earned while playing with the Professional Softball League’s Atlanta Smoke in 2026, a contract she would not have willingly signed had she been granted a fifth year of eligibility before the 2026 season ended.Paytn Monticelli’s attorney Ryan Downton of the Texas Trial Group provided Softball On SI with a statement Friday. “Young women like Paytn Monticelli in non-revenue-share sports may be the most marginalized and forgotten athletes in this entire fight.” https://t.co/3g25IIuwd8 pic.twitter.com/wvAJ2b8AFx— Maren Angus (@Maren_Angus) September 4, 2026“I would not have willingly left the NCAA to go and play a professional season because I love college softball,” Monticelli said. “Why would I want to leave a place that has given me so much, in a sport specifically that has given me so much?” The PSL contract is just a small part of the six-figure number she has accrued between attorneys’ fees, total losses of expenses and NIL opportunities. All of it was a risk she was willing to take to wear Purple and Gold for one more year.“Coming to LSU really did change my life,” Monticelli said. “It completely flipped around my entire perspective of softball, to be completely honest. Coming out of my previous university, I was a very happy person, but on the field, I didn't feel like myself. So, leaving and finding a home where I could feel like me on the field as well as off the field was super important. I really found that at LSU and with the coaches here, Coach (Beth) Torina has been honestly just amazing.“Coach Beth has helped me figure out my mechanics and then also has just bought into me so much, emotionally. I really just feel like a part of the family here. I just love LSU. I love wearing the Purple and Gold. I feel so lucky to be here every day, and honestly, every opportunity that I'm getting right now is, like, a bonus gift, because I wasn't supposed to have this season, you know?”The SEC Loophole Argued in CourtThe first thought that crosses a general sports fan’s mind when reading this could be, she played professionally, so she can’t play collegiately again.Well, there’s a loophole.The SEC unanimously voted 16-0 to enforce a strict policy prohibiting member institutions from rostering athletes with professional draft, contract, or roster ties, but specifically identified the professional leagues by name, and there were only three. REPORT: Paytn Monticelli and Jalia Lassiter testified in court Thursday as they fight for the chance to return to LSU softball for a fifth season after playing professionally this summer.https://t.co/t2jDwPstXa— Softball OnSI (@SoftballOnSI) September 4, 2026With a step-by-step explanation, the SEC announced that its institutions are "not permitted to have an athlete on its roster who has:1. Previously declared for the NFL, NBA, or WNBA draft, and did not appropriately withdraw.2. Signed a contract with an NFL (or other professional football league), NBA/G-League, or WNBA (or affiliate) team.3. Been listed on an NFL (or other professional football league), NBA/G-League, or WNBA (or affiliate) roster."SEC has announced a ban on athletes who have declared, signed a contract, been listed on a roster in the NFL, NBA and WNBA Greg Sankey has been given the authority to enforce these guidelines by chancellors and presidents. SEC joins Big Ten: https://t.co/qeRpyQwWja pic.twitter.com/Iws1gMOiXb— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) August 25, 2026That explanation did not mention the Athletes Unlimited Softball League or Professional Softball League, along with other women’s sports such as volleyball and soccer.“That's one thing that they said in the courtroom. They hadn't discussed the other sports yet,” Monticelli said. “They haven't discussed the pro soccer players. The softball players, you name it, everybody except for those named pro leagues that they had already said. So, that was a gray area that they addressed in the courtroom, and it was just pretty clear that nobody really knew what was going on.”The Misconception Proven WrongMonticelli believes the door was left open for her to return to LSU because the SEC didn’t consider the non-revenue sports and the majority of the injunctions that have been filed were for football and basketball.The fifth-year pitcher also wants to clear the air about the biggest misconception surrounding this specific case.— LSU Softball (@LSUsoftball) September 4, 2026“It's kind of interesting to be the first to do something, but it's also a little scary,” she said. “I think people were, people were really quick to jump the gun and assume that these athletes must have made six figures because they're professionals. We really didn't make money at all. "It doesn't mean we make money because we're labeled pro athletes. I wish people would have a little bit more grace with the idea that we aren't failed professionals, and two, we don't make as much as people think we, we do. That's one of the things, too, in the narrative: being called failed professionals is super hurtful. None of us failed. It's just not the path that God had put out for us, honestly. I'm a believer in God, and I think He put me in every single place that I've been for a reason. I think if He put it on my heart to want to go back to college sports, He wouldn't have made it possible for me to go back to college sports.”What’s Next?Monticelli and Lassiter have returned to practice with the LSU softball team and have every intention of being on the roster for the 2027 season.The Tigers unveiled their SEC slate on Wednesday, which begins on the road at Kentucky from March 19-21. LSU will also host series against Tennessee (March 26-28), Arkansas (April 9-11), Texas (April 16-18) and Georgia (May 6-8) at Tiger Park.We'll SEC you soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/n8i4O2T8qO— LSU Softball (@LSUsoftball) September 9, 2026On the road, and in addition to Kentucky, the Tigers will travel to Florida (April 2-4), Oklahoma (April 23-25) and Alabama (April 30-May 2).The 2027 SEC Tournament is set for May 11-15 at Toyota Field in Madison, Ala., marking the league's first neutral-site conference tournament since 2002. Game times and television assignments will be announced at a later date.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow